This invention relates to holders for needles and more particularly to holders and packages which provide for the delivery of sutures containing attached needles.
In the packaging of surgical needles including surgical needles to which there are attached sutures, it is important that the needles be sufficiently secured that they will not be jarred or displaced during the packaging operation as well as the shipping of the package and the opening of the package in the operating arena. Jarring or displacement of these very sharp needles will often dull their cutting edges and reduce their efficiency in closing tissue very often resulting in increased trauma of the tissue. Also, it is preferred that the needles be held in a manner in which they are sufficiently separated and are readily available to the nurse or surgeon at the appropriate time. Also, suture materials, particularly monofilaments such as catcut, polydioxanone and the like, especially the heavier deniers, are known to take a set during storage; i.e., they generally retain the shape of their position in the package when removed from the package. Hence, the package should be designed so that any tight bends or curves required in order to package the suture be eliminated. Also, for economic reasons the suture package should be designed to accept various size needles and sutures.
Packages for armed sutures; i.e., sutures where the needle is attached, which provide for some degree of needle separation, are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,623; 4,034,850; and 3,857,484. These patents are representative of the many patents which show needle separation within the package. Also, packages for use with the heavier denier monofilament sutures which provide a package which substantially reduces undesirable "set" of the suture are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,418.